Oilers analyst projects free agent defenceman to take the job of veteran blueliner next season

The Oilers signed Leppanen last month, a very interesting 26 year old defenceman from the top league in Finland.

According to a recent article from Oilers analyst Allan Mitchell, he believes Leppanen will supplant someone else for NHL minutes next year.

The 26 year old Finnish defenceman is 6 feet tall and 170 pounds, a little undersized for an NHL defender, but he more than makes up for it with skill.

Leppanen was a late bloomer, never making the Finnish pro league until he was 24 years old. In his sophomore season though, he had a breakout year that caught the attention of the entire hockey world.

With 21 goals and 63 points in 60 games, Leppanen led the league in scoring and set record for the highest scoring year of a defenceman in league history. He was a weapon with his skating, shot, impeccable passing, and hockey sense on the big European ice.

There's still a question to how his game will translate to the NHL, but Mitchell and other analysts are very high on his potential. By NHLe rating, Leppanen production would translate to score 39 points in the NHL - a remarkable threshold for a defender.

There's only a few players of which Leppanen could take their job on next year's blue line. Depth options like John Klingberg, Josh Brown, and Troy Stecher may make sense - but Leppanen's skill could demand a full time role. It's a scouring signing for Edmonton.